Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning program which would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based programs of the mid-1960s. Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! underwent a number of changes from script to screen (the most notable of which was the downplaying of the musical group angle borrowed from The Archie Show). However, the basic concept—four teenagers (Freddie, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and a large goofy dog (Scooby-Doo) solving supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.

Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the story supervisors on the series. Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season Scooby episodes, while Ruby, Spears, Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second-season episodes. The plot varied little from episode to episode. The main concept was as follows:

1. The Mystery, Inc. gang turn up in the Mystery Machine, en route to or returning from a regular teenage function – a dance, a rock festival, etc., when their van develops engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, etc.), in the immediate vicinity of a large, mostly-vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion etc).
2. Their (unintended) destination turns out to be suffering from a "monster" problem (ghosts, Frankenstein, Yeti, etc.). The kids volunteer to investigate the case.
3. The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who gives chase. Scooby and Shaggy in particular love to eat, including dog treats referred to as "Scooby Snacks" which are a favorite of both the dog and the teenage boy.
4. Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake, and a trap is set to capture it.
5. The trap may or may not work (more often than not, Scooby-Doo falls into the trap and they accidentally catch the monster another way); invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked. The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something akin to a real-estate scam (involving an attempt to buy the property at significantly reduced price – due to the "haunting" or "monster" depressing the market value of the property). In Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster, Fred cries, "Guess what, guys? One of our traps worked without an unforeseen detail going horribly wrong!" This is a reference to Scooby falling in nearly all of their traps.
6. After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids" (sometimes adding "...and your dog!"), the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed to continue on their way to their destination.


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